Disney closes LucasArts; Star Wars 1313 possibly cancelled

Disney has announced that it is shutting down LucasArts, the game development arm of Lucasfilm, choosing to outsource future Star Wars games to minimise risk.

“After evaluating our position in the games market, we've decided to shift LucasArts from an internal development to a licensing model, minimising the company's risk while achieving a broader portfolio of quality Star Wars games,” Disney said in a statement released to Game Informer.

“As a result of this change, we've had layoffs across the organisation. We are incredibly appreciative and proud of the talented teams who have been developing our new titles,” the statement continues.

While there was no mention of Star Wars 1313, which was revealed last E3 as a next-generation project, it seems likely that the game will face the axe as Disney focuses its gaming efforts on social and mobile platforms and puts all its eggs in the Disney Infinity basket, the company’s answer to Activision’s Skylanders juggernaut.

It’s a sad day for the industry, as LucasArts was responsible for creating classics such as Grim Fandango, The Secret of Monkey Island, and Maniac Mansion.

LucasArts was part of Lucasfilm, which Disney acquired last year at a staggering $4.05 billion. Back then, Disney CEO Robert Iger had said that the company would focus on social and mobile games over console.

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